Shining Light on BikeMaps.org at Glowfair 2017

Experiential marketing (also known as “on-the-ground” marketing) is one of the best ways brands can engage an audience, build relationships, and stimulate action.

This year, we saw an opportunity to promote BikeMaps.org, a tool for safer cycling, to parents and families attending Glowfair, which is a weekend event of neon performances and exhibits spread out over ten blocks in downtown Ottawa.

BikeMaps.org is a citizen web-mapping website and mobile app that lets cyclists report near misses and crashes, which allows researchers to capture better data to make cycling safer. The project was developed by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF), in partnership with the University of Victoria (uVic), with funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC).

The team gave out over 200 branded snacks, bicycle seat covers, stickers, and special reflective “snap bracelets” in neon orange to match the Glowfair theme.

Not only did we have fun promoting BikeMaps.org at Glowfair, but our client enjoyed the experience and saw great results too.

“We really enjoyed speaking with all the Glowfair attendees about BikeMaps.org and the public showed a great level of receptivity to this technology that provides cyclists of any level a tool to map their experience, ultimately making cycling safer for everyone. The collaboration between the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF), the University of Victoria and Acart was a great experience, and the promotion of BikeMaps.org was successful as a result of Acart’s expertise with marketing and promotional events. Getting out into the local community has really helped us interact with those in our area and spread the word about BikeMaps.org!” – Heather Woods-Fry, Research Associate, Traffic Injury Research Foundation